Dear Gray
by myrise
Summary: Living with Gray Fullbuster was easy if you were Juvia Lockser... minus the whole unrequited feelings part. (includes most pairings.)
1. Chapter 1

"Juvia, please help me, I can't decide on which colour and Cana's not helping _whatsoever_."

"Just a second. Juvia's still getting changed," she replied as she studied herself in the full length mirror. She huffed, unsatisfied by her reflection. Juvia hated bikini shopping, seeing as she would rather cover up than strip down, and the outfits she tried on only made her look pale and washed out.

"You should wear this one!" Cana cheered.

There was a rustling sound before Juvia heard Lucy shout, "That's entirely inappropriate!"

"Live a little! What's the harm in showing a bit of skin?"

"I would never wear something like that! And where's the bottom half?"

"Right here!"

" _That's_ the bottom?!"

"You would _totally_ rock this bathing suit!"

 _"Juvia!"_ Lucy whined.

"You're right, Lucy!" Cana squealed, "Juvia would look good in this, too!"

"No!" Juvia shouted instantly as she covered her body, despite the curtain shielding her from the prying eyes of the brunette waiting on the opposite side.

"Don't listen to her, Juvia; Lucy's taste is a bit modest compared to mine. You'll rock this bikini."

Juvia laughed uneasily as she unfastened the string behind her back, "Cana-san's seen what Juvia wears and still considers Lucy's clothing modest?"

"I think you just insulted me…" Lucy mumbled.

"It's the slit along your long skirts that make your outfits more risqué," Cana continued. "It's why boys trail you at parties, Juvia. You've got this whole… nice, innocent teacher thing going on that guys _love._ You'd be the kind of teach who'd do anything for her students but would totally blow the principle under his desk during a conference."

Juvia almost passed out in the dressing rom. "Wh-wha-what? Oh… I— _what?!_ "

She could hear Lucy scolding Cana behind the curtains, but the brunette's voice overruled the blondes. "I'm totally not the only person who thinks it either. Erza came up with that analogy."

Juvia's face paled and she peeked through the curtains, holding her clothes to her chest in case Cana decided to barge in. "Erza-san? She thought of that?"

The brunette chuckled wholeheartedly as she leaned forward, propping her hands on her knees while her cheeky grin only widened at seeing Lucy's look of disapproval. "You know what she's like. Erza's story was _very_ explicit."

Juvia's jaw slackened. Juvia knew all too well what made Erza's mind tick – both girls had a mutual love for erotic novels. To Juvia it was a shared a secret she'd carry to her grave, unlike Erza, who would freely discuss erotic novels during the course of dinner. Many times Erza would randomly message Juvia her own exotic fantasies, public teasing and teacher fantasies included, so it came to no surprise Erza would expand on the idea.

"Do Juvia's clothes really give off that impression?"

"Of course not—" Lucy began but was cut off.

"Levy said she could totally see it," Cana snickered mischievously, "Evergreen and Bixslow, too. Freed blushed and cursed at us, so he thinks so as well."

Juvia was unable to speak, completely flushed and flabbergasted by these provocative theories her friends, and people she looked up to, put forward. Well, at least _they_ could see her partaking in something so promiscuously scandalous, unlike somebody else she knew.

 _At least you still have sex appeal,_ she thought to herself _, that's got to be something?_

"Leave her alone," Lucy scolded. "I don't think Juvia can handle so much."

"This wouldn't be so bad if Juvia wasn't studying to be a teacher," Juvia sighed, "Who would employ somebody who gives that impression?"

"You're totally looking at this the wrong way," she waved a hand and leaned against the wall. "You're biggest problem won't be landing a job; it's choosing which school you want to work at. Wear one of those skirts and principles will _beg_ you to teach at their school."

All the blood rushed to Juvia's face and she pulled the curtains shut, "J-Juvia would n-never do something like that!"

"I don't see the harm."

"Juvia wants to be hired because of her skills!" She protested.

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Cana snickered, but it was a second later Juvia understood why the brunette was cackling uncontrollably.

"Oh – _no,_ Cana has a dirty mind! Juvia meant – oh forget it – _Lucy!_ This isn't funny!"

"S-Sorry!" Lucy snorted.

Juvia was unimpressed by Lucy's apology – _and Cana in general_ – when she showed no signs of regaining her composure but Juvia didn't blame her. The situation was slightly amusing but she would _never_ admit it.

Juvia studied herself in the mirror. She never put too much thought into her clothing. She wore what she liked and she liked to be covered. Juvia didn't think the slit would be seen as anything sensual, she just preferred having room for her legs to move rather than be confined. That was probably why finding a bikini she felt comfortable in was so hard.

"Can we get back to finding something to wear?" Juvia asked as she picked up another swimsuit – one Lucy suggested she try on.

It was nice. It was another two piece bathing suit; the main colour was navy blue with a cream white strip along the top of the breasts and the top hem of the bottom piece. Juvia's eyes widened when she noticed the suit not only tied behind her back, but also at her front, meaning if the string came loose… well _,_ everyone but Juvia would find it hilarious.

"You still haven't helped me pick a colour, Juvia," Lucy whined.

"I'm right here, I _can_ help," Cana reminded her, offended.

"You've been completely useless this whole time, I need Juvia's help."

"You _wound_ me."

"Juvia really liked that deep red bikini Lucy picked out," Juvia shouted as she pulled the bikini bottoms up her thighs.

"But you haven't seen me wear it," Lucy replied, unsure.

"Juvia saw you holding the swimsuit and the colour looked nice against your skin tone, and I think that material and shape will accentuate your figure," Juvia explained as she tied a bunny knot that sat between her breasts. She studied her reflection and, after a few spins and readjusting, her lips curved into a satisfied smile, thankful she found the perfect swimsuit after two hours of searching.

"I think you're right, Juvia!" She heard Lucy exclaim from the adjacent room. "And to think I was about to choose the yellow..."

"Let me see!"

"Don't just barge in here!"

Cana let out a low whistle and Juvia laughed to herself. "Damn, look at Betsy and Rhonda! They look even bigger!"

 _"Let go of me!"_

"Juvia, what about you?" Cana called.

She reached behind her neck to untie the bow before asking, "What _about_ Juvia?"

It was silent and Juvia spun around, facing the curtains with a frown.

"Cana-san?"

A shadow slowly crept into the space between the curtain's hem and the floor, inching closer and closer. _Damn Cana_. Alert, Juvia outstretched her arms to either side of the wall with the edges of the curtains between the wall and her palms, barricading herself inside the dressing room and away from the intruder.

"Juvia…" Cana sung her name in a teasing melody but she was having none of it. "Please let Cana-san in."

 _"No."_

"But—"

" _Cana-san_ doesn't know the meaning of 'no', so Juvia is using her _teaching_ skills to teach Cana-san the definition. Visualisation is an easier method of learning to some people."

"You should at least let me peek; I haven't seen you try on anything," she moped.

"Juvia found a swimsuit, but because of the poor behaviour displayed today, Cana-san is going to wait and see like everybody else," Juvia disciplined, smirking to herself.

"You know, you don't have to go full teacher mode on us," Cana murmured as Juvia let go of the curtain and began undressing. "Are you trying to prove you're more than just a hot piece of ass?"

Juvia ignored Cana. Once she was completely dressed she quickly checked her phone.

 _3 Missed Calls From: Gray-sama~_

 _7 Messages From: Gray-sama~_

Juvia's heart came to a sudden stop. With wide eyes she hurriedly unlocked her phone, silently praying he wasn't hurt or in a life threatening situation. Why did she put her phone on silent in the first place?!

 _Here._

 _?_

 _Hello?_

 _"_ Oh _no…_ ." It all came rushing back. Yesterday she asked if he could pick them up after shopping, however she was almost an hours late. Not only did she ask him to do her a favour, but she had completely forgotten about it! " _No, no, no…"_

 _Oi?_

 _You better answer soon! I'm stuck with Natsu and he wants us to go inside. I can't go inside or else I'll look like a creep! Juvia!_

 _Okay, we're getting coffee across the road because you KEPT ME UP ALL NIGHT BEGGING ME TO PICK YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS UP SO YOU BETTER ANSWER BEFORE WE'RE FINISHED OR ELSE_

 _JUVIA! WTF_

How could she be so late?! Gray was absolutely furious through text when he's usually a boring messenger. Juvia silently groaned. She'd just have to find a way to make it up to him, but first she'll apologise for so long he'll beg her to shut up. It usually worked when she was in the wrong, anyway.

She grabbed her belongings, including the bikini she wanted to purchase, and ran outside of the changing room, completely startling Cana. "We're late," was all she managed to say before she ran past her and into the middle of the store, moving frantically before she found the counter.

She paid for the swimsuit, wincing at the price, and rushed outside, finding Gray's car a few shops down. She ran so fast her stomach almost took out the side-view mirror. "Dangit," she cursed and leaned against the vehicle to regain her breath. _How long had it been since she last went to the gym?_ After a moment she began to search for the coffee shop but jumped when someone shouted her name.

"Juvia! About time!"

It was Natsu. She spun around and smiled apologetically, but frowned when she found him alone. "Where's Gray-sama?"

Natsu folded his arms, glancing inside the shop before pointing behind him. "He forgot to get a house warming present," he answered, "Is Luce still inside?"

"They should be out in a second," she replied, "Juvia is sorry for taking such a long time."

He just shrugged her off. "I didn't mind waitin'. I got a free coffee out of it."

She hoped Gray would be as forgiving, but that was nearly impossible. Gray loved Natsu like a brother, but he couldn't spend mass amounts of time with him alone without going crazy. Juvia knows, since Gray has spent hours venting about him in the past. He also can't stand drunk people on busses and his cousin Lyon.

Natsu chuckled, "Start thinking of a good apology because he's pissed."

"I wouldn't worry about it; Gray's always pissed when Natsu's with him." Juvia jumped when Cana's voice came from behind, her eyes glued to her phone despite being engaged in conversation. " _Oh…_ so it was you guys who kept texting me."

His smirk fell into a scowl. "Yeah. Don't you ever check your phone?"

"Your texts kept restarting my game so I had to put it on airplane mode." Natsu's jaw slackened. "What? Why're you so mad at me? You forgave Juvia in two seconds."

"She actually apologised!"

"Juvia, you didn't take your bags from the checkout!" Lucy shouted as she exited the shop, her voice immediately catching Natsu's attention. "The lady saw us come in together so she let me give them to you."

Juvia looked down to her hands and just noticed how empty they were since; she had her phone and wallet in one hand and no swimsuit in the other. "Thank you, Lucy!" She said when Lucy handed the bag over. _I almost wasted $50… that was lucky._

"Lucy, why didn't you check your phone?" Natsu whined like a child. "I sent you like fifty texts."

"I know, that's why I ignored you, and put my phone on vibrate. You know I do that when you spam me," She answered while searching her surroundings, frowning before glancing at Natsu. "Where's Gray?"

"Buying a house warming present," Natsu replied.

Cana huffed and slung her arm around Lucy's shoulder, "He sure is taking his sweet time. How much longer do we have to wait for him?"

 _"Cana..."_ The three of them said in unison.

"Alright, I get it, we'll wait."

"What did _you_ get them?" Lucy asked Natsu. He grinned sheepishly while scratching a particular spot behind his ear, looking everywhere but at her. "You forgot as well…" she hardly sounded surprised.

"I was in the middle of picking something out until I saw Juvia," he confessed. "I did find these cool Mr and Mrs shot glasses, so I was just going to get those."

"I still can't believe Laxus had the guts to propose," Lucy commented.

"I can't believe Mira wants to be with that guy forever," Natsu shuddered. "I'd rather drink expired milk."

Juvia laughed and Lucy slapped his shoulder. Juvia's eyes drifted as their usual banter went into full swing, but she continued to seek out Gray. She didn't know how much time passed when she spotted him exiting a small shop, scowling, with a plastic bag in his hand as he stomped toward the group.

"Gray-sama!" Juvia sang as she pushed past the group. His brows narrowed and he came to a stop when she wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, taking a silent vow to not release him until he forgave her. "Juvia is so sorry! Juvia had her phone on silent and completely forgot!

"I was waitin' for an hour!" Gray shouted while using his free hand to push her away. She tightened her grip. "I called you a thousand times! How can you not check your phone for that long?! You're always on it!"

"Juvia knows and is so sorry! Please forgive Juvia!"

"Maybe she's only on it when you're around because you're the most boring person to have ever walked this earth," Natsu suggested with a simple shrug, "But that's just a hunch."

Juvia gasped and Gray stormed toward the pink haired man. She dug her heels into the ground, using all her strength to pull him back or at least keep him in place. "You want a fight?" Gray snapped.

"I wouldn't mind a challenge. You better let him go, Juvia, so he can drive us to Laxus' new place. If he's not too busy with his party maybe _he'll_ fight me."

"What are you sayin'? That I'm not a challenge?"

"I thought it was pretty self-explanatory. If you have to ask it kind of proves my point, doesn't it?

It turned out Juvia wasn't as strong as she thought since Gray was now towing her along the sidewalk. She clung onto him like an unwilling child would their parents their first day of school, despite her best efforts to keep him in one spot. Lucy, in an attempt to cease the quarrel, heaved Natsu in the opposite direction with all her might, but it wasn't until Cana announced she were on the phone with Erza that everyone stopped moving.

"Be quiet," she hissed before bringing her mobile to her ear.

Everyone froze in their places and something in the store window moved, catching Juvia's eye. There was a woman standing behind one of the mannequins, eyes wide and alert as she surveyed the situation. Juvia's cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

The workers eyes met Juvia's and they both jumped.

"Oi, you're squeezing me too hard!" Gray whispered angrily.

"There's someone watching through the window," she whispered back, "And she caught Juvia staring! That was so embarrassing _._ "

His shoulders shook in her hold and she almost let him go _._ Realization dawned on her when his hands went to cover his mouth to prevent a laugh from escaping his lips.

She gasped and pinched his stomach. "Are you _laughing_ at Juvia?"

He pinched her back and glanced at her over his shoulder, a ghost of a smile on his face. Juvia's cheeks were warm. "Of course she could see you staring. What? Did you think you were invisible?"

"Don't tease Juvia!" She tried to give him her dirtiest look but her lips couldn't tell the difference between a frown and a smile. She admitted defeat when his lips curved into a smile, igniting one of her own, and she hid her face in his shirt. He laughed a second time, louder. "Shut up, Gray-sama."

"We've got to go, _now,_ " Cana warned after hanging up the phone.

"Which is what I've been saying for the past hour," Gray commented while prying Juvia's arms from his waist. She let him. A smile was enough to deem herself forgiven.

"Everyone's already there," Cana added, "Erza isn't happy."

"She's probably lonely," Lucy suggested.

"Not our problem!" Natsu verified as they all made their way over to Gray's car. He looked to Gray. " _We_ were on time."

"Yeah, yeah," Cana muttered.

Juvia climbed in the front seat, making sure she had her bag, wallet and phone on her person. "Did Gray-sama remember to get the bag on Juvia's bed?" she asked when he sat in the driver's seat.

"Everything's in the trunk," he answered while handing her a plastic bag. "Can you hold that while I drive?"

"Is this Gray-sama's gift?" She didn't wait for him to reply before rummaging through the bag; the item inside was a small, gift-wrapped box. Juvia would safely bet he paid someone else to gift-wrap the present since usually he'd opt for a gift bag, given he was hopeless with tape and a pair of scissors.

"It's pretty last minute but I found these cool shot glasses with Mr and Mrs on it," he explained with a proud grin. Juvia's face paled before glancing in the rear-view mirror, thankful Natsu was too focused riling up Lucy to be paying attention to their conversation.

"Um… Juvia would insist on giving the present in private," she warned him. He gave her a questioning glance but asked no more.

"Erza texted me, she wants to make sure Juvia remembered her sunscreen," Cana said from the backseat.

Juvia glanced over her shoulder at the brunette, her brows pulled together, "Of course…" she said slowly. "Juvia doesn't stand a chance against the suns harmful rays."

"Wouldn't hurt for you to get a tan," Cana advised while placing her soft, warm hands on Juvia's shoulders, slowly inching down her arms as she continued. "Not that I mind your skin tone. You could pull off any look, eh Gray?"

Without taking his eyes off the road he said, "No groping in my car."

Cana groaned and reluctantly let go of Juvia, slumping in her seat while muttering 'prude' under her breath.

"Can you put in their address for me?" He asked, handing over his phone to her. She hummed, receiving the device and admiring his lock screen; it was a picture of him, dressed completely in snow gear, standing proudly atop a snow covered mountain alongside his cousins with a snowboard in one hand and his other draped over Ultear's shoulders.

Knowing his passcode, she unlocked the device and paused upon seeing his home display; it was a picture from his birthday last month, held at one of the biggest ice rinks in the city thanks to Juvia and Erza's weeks of relentless planning. There were plenty of pictures taken that day, seeing as Juvia wanted to document every moment, but she wasn't expecting Gray to actually make _keep_ these pictures.

The picture was the two of them standing in the middle of the ice rink; her arms wrapped snugly around his middle while one of his were draped casually over her shoulders, similar to how he was holding onto Ultear. Juvia loved this picture. Whenever Gray was photographed he'd usually glare or seem uninterested, but this time Juvia could detect the smallest hint of a smile, _which meant a lot_ , however it was almost ruined by Natsu and Loke photo-bombing in the background.

Smiling at the memory, she moved on to typing the address of Laxus and Mirajane's new house into the GPS.

They arrived ten minutes later, following Mirajane's instructions by going through the sidewalk that led them directly into their huge backyard. They had a beautiful garden that went alongside the fence, containing various flowers like white and scarlet roses, white asters, Siberian iris', peonies, and more flowers that escaped Juvia's limited flora knowledge.

Fairy lights hung from the back patio; to the far left was the pool and hot tub area, with long white and navy stripped poolside chairs, and an outside bar. Everyone who already arrived was dressed in their swimsuits, despite only five people sitting inside the pool area, and yet there was still room for at least thirty more people. And there were at least twenty five guests present. _Just how much money do they have?!_

"Oh my… this place… is so…" Juvia was at loss for words, and this was _only the backyard_. She made a mental note to not touch anything inside.

"You took the words right out of my mouth," Lucy agreed.

Gray let out a low whistle, "Must really pay off being an infamous boxer."

"This makes your place look like a dump," Natsu remarked however he was in a daze. Juvia assumed Gray was as well, since he didn't retort in any way.

"I'm never leaving this place," Cana cheered as she pushed past them all, heading straight over to Mirajane, who was talking with Erza, and proudly interrupted their conversation. Erza was about to pull Cana off but her eyes trailed to the group, her face lighting up at their arrival. She ran over, punched both boys' arm in greeting, and pulled the girls back to Mira.

"Yay! You're all here!" Mira cheered happily, her cheeks rosy. "I'm so glad you guys could come!"

"Mira, this place is so…" Lucy fumbled over her words but Mira only smile in return.

"Thank you, Lucy. Laxus was the one who picked it out."

"Laxus?!" Juvia and Lucy said in unison. Mira giggled at the girls' reaction.

"The big man always had expensive taste," Cana laughed while folding her arms, "And he did a pretty good job. This place is fucking awesome. And _huge_."

"Yeah, well, we wanted a house big enough for when we have kids."

" _Kids?!"_ Lucy and Juvia looked as though they were about to faint and Mira blushed in return, her eyes cast to the ground.

"So Laxus is pretty serious about starting a family?" Erza asked with an unreadable expression.

"He's always wanted us to have kids," she smiled to herself, "He wants to start trying right after we get married but I convinced him to wait a couple of years; I want us to really enjoy the first few years of our marriage just ourselves before starting a family."

"Wow… I never would've thought Laxus wanted to be a dad," Lucy said, bewilderment etched upon her features. "I didn't think he'd want the whole… domestic lifestyle, thing. It's pleasantly surprising."

"I didn't think so either but there are a lot of things he keeps to himself. It took me a long time to find out his little secrets," she beamed. "He's really adorable sometimes."

Erza and Cana wasted no time in spurring questions regarding Laxus' hidden secrets, demanding to know them all regardless how big or small, but just as quickly as she lost herself, Erza regained composure and slapped the back of Cana's head. "I think we got a bit excited there. I apologise."

She smiled and waved them off. "You're fine. Anyway, you girls probably want to get changed. Behind the bar is a small outside bathroom. You can get dressed in there."

"You have an outside bathroom?!" Lucy shouted, eyes wide with shock. Juvia, too. She couldn't believe how much money Laxus and Mirajane had between them. Juvia was barely scraping through with college and rent, she barely had money to spend leisurely.

"C'mon, I'll show you," said Mira.

She led the girls to the bathroom and Juvia marvelled at the sight. "This is much bigger than Juvia's bathroom," she whispered to Lucy.

"At least you have your own bathroom. I'd gladly _live_ in here than at the girls' dormitory," Lucy confessed.

"You girls get changed in here and I'll meet you by the pool."

Juvia walked into one of the changing rooms and dressed into her bikini, and threw on a see-through over shirt she packed in her bag. She preferred to start the day covered in something light before walking around in just her swimsuit.

She walked out and her jaw dropped at seeing Lucy's body. "Lucy… Lucy looks..."

"Juvia, I think you have a gift," Cana remarked, tearing her eyes from Lucy to Juvia. "I think you should give up the teaching gig and—"

Juvia blinked when Cana went silent, which was a rarity in its own, and waved a hand before her eyes. She remained unmoving. "Cana-san?"

"Juvia…" it was Lucy who spoke. "You look amazing! Take off that shirt so we can really see!"

Juvia's cheeks were warm as she fingered the hem of her shirt, her eyes focused somewhere on the ground, suddenly too embarrassed to look into the eyes of her friends. "Ah… Juvia wants to wait—"

"I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want. If you'd like to keep it on, do so," Lucy said, but Juvia braced herself for the rest to come. "However—" _there it is_ "—the second we step outside and Erza sees you, she won't stop harassing you until that shirt is off."

Juvia's face paled.

"She's right," Cana added, her confidence returned.

Juvia sighed, knowing they were right, and pulled the shirt over her head and folded it back into her bag. "Happy?"

Lucy grinned. "Let's go."

They strolled back to the pool and said their greetings to the other Strauss siblings, immediately falling into conversation regarding their majors and whatever else that came to mind. Cana left to the mini bar and when she returned, she had a small Levy tucked under her shoulder, both with colourful drinks in their hands.

"Look who I found emptying Mira's bar," Cana cheered proudly. Levy's cheeks turned rosy as she looked away guiltily.

"Levy-chan! How did I not see you? How long have you been here?" Lucy asked.

She giggled and scratched the back of her head. "I actually helped Mira set everything up. After everything was done she made me a really pretty drink and told me to help myself."

"And she has been since then," Mira added as she tilted her head to the bar. "Good thing, too, I think Bixslow's getting the shots ready."

"I've always liked Bixslow," Cana commented. "He truly is a hero."

"Don't say that too loudly or he'll hear you," Lisanna muttered while sipping her fruity cocktail. "His ego doesn't need it."

Juvia sat down beside Lisanna and noticed Levy had been sucking on her straw this entire time. Her tall glass was almost completely empty. "Levy-san, how drunk are you?" Juvia asked.

"I-I… um…"

Cana let go of Levy, causing the petite girl to stumble, and stood before Juvia, offering her a pink drink. She was sure whatever was inside that glass would have her on the floor if she had too many, since that's how Cana usually liked her drinks. "I think the real question isn't 'how drunk is Levy', but 'how can we catch up'." Juvia inched away from Cana but her efforts deemed futile when she sat down beside her. "C'mon, it's not going to hurt."

"Juvia doesn't think it's wise to drink and swim."

"But you're an excellent swimmer."

"Not when Juvia's been drinking," she pushed her hand away, "Maybe after the food is ready."

Cana sighed, "Suite yourself," she said before bringing the glass to her lips and swallowing the contents.

"Juvia!" She was surprised to hear Gray shouting her name from inside the pool. She turned and saw him waist deep in the water, his onyx eyes set with determination while he glared at Natsu. "Get in here! I need you to jump on my shoulders!"

"Luce! You too!" Natsu yelled. "Jump in!"

"Guys, I just want to relax," Lucy sulked. Juvia, however, was a mess by the mere sight of a shirtless and soaked Gray. The tips of his hair were wet, clinging to the nape of his neck, and Juvia wanted nothing more than to—

 _"Lucy…"_ Natsu whined, pulling her out of her daydream. He swam to the side of the pool but the second he set eyes on her, he look away. His neck and ears were bright red and his eyes were wide, almost scared, his confidence vanishing into thin air.

"C'mon, Lu-chan, this'll be fun!" Levy giggled.

"Be a man and play!"

"Shut up!" Evergreen shouted from beside him.

"Why not make it interesting?" Erza declared as she strode into the pool area with her chin held high and a devilish twinkle in her eye. This caught both boys' attention.

"What are we talkin'?" Gray asked as an evil grin spread across his face. Juvia's eyes lit up. Her and Gray worked well as a team; she was confident, despite how well Lucy and Natsu worked together, that they would win.

"Whoever wins must do one thing the other person tells them to. And their word is absolute."

Natsu eyes lit up and he almost jumped out of the pool from excitement. "You mean when I win I can make Gray do whatever I want?"

"What do you mean 'when'?" Lucy frowned.

"That would be too good. I don't want you guys to trash this place, so we'll switch it up. Let's say, for example, Juvia and Gray win—" Gray barked with laughter and Natsu slapped a wave of water in his direction "—Juvia would be in control of Natsu, and Gray, Lucy."

Mirajane sighed in relief.

"I like the sound of that, although I'd much rather boss Gray around, but I'm sure she'll work fine. You ready to be my slave, Juvia?" Natsu chuckled while rubbing the back of his neck. "I think I slept on my neck weird and a massage would really help that.

"Juvia loves it when the opponent really thinks they're going to win against Juvia and Gray-sama... it's adorable." She smirked, sending a confident smirk to her partner who was grinning back at her. She would happily bet some money on this game; when they worked together, they were unstoppable. "Juvia will not lose."

"And I always thought it was Gray who's all cocky and confident," Natsu's head titled back, his lips curving into a smug grin, challenging her. "Bring it on."

Juvia strode toward the side of the pool and slowly slid into the warm water. She swam beside her partner to find him still smirking at her.

"C'mon Luce!"

"Who said I'm playing?" she shouted from outside the pool, still sitting on her towel. "I just want to relax."

"Why can't you be into this like Juvia?!" He shouted at her. "It's time to wipe those cocky grins off their stupid faces with our man power!"

"Get someone else!"

When Natsu faced Juvia and Gray, she knew he was growing irritated with Lucy's response, so Juvia wasn't surprised to see him pull himself out of the pool, pick up an unwilling Lucy, and toss her into the pool mercilessly. He jumped in after her and smirked when her head popped out from the water, her eyes lit with rage.

He chuckled. "Great! Now channel that anger towards them!"

"I'm going to kill you!" She screamed, pouncing in his direction and dunking his head beneath the water.

Juvia giggled and sunk lower into the pool, the cool water enveloping her in the best way possible after sitting in the blistering sun. "How long are they going to take?" She asked Gray.

He shrugged and stretched his arms over his head. Juvia watched the flex of his muscles, the beads of water dripping down his body and splashing into the pool. When he glanced at her over his shoulder she averting her eyes, knowing her face was beat red.

"Did you put on sunscreen?" He asked, turning to face her. "Your face looks like a tomato."

She frowned, glaring up at him. "A tomato?"

"You know what I mean." He stared at her for a bit longer before swimming closer, his eyes glued to something on her face. He was so close Juvia could see the small freckles dusting the bridge of his nose and although she were submerged in cool water, she felt as though she was going to melt. "Your cheeks look like they're burning."

 _He was so close._

"M-Maybe Juvia… should put on some sunscreen," she mumbled, unable to look away from him.

"Or you should see what you look like with a tan," he smirked, "then maybe you won't blend into our walls."

Juvia gasped, completely caught off-guard by his comment that her only thought of retaliation was to splash water into his eyes.

"Oi! Keep it for the competition!" He exclaimed, ready to splash her, but something caught Juvia's eye.

"Wait, Gray-sama, look behind you…"

He hardly had time to check before Lucy, who had found time to stop attacking Natsu and be seated his shoulders, tipped a bucket of water over his head. Juvia gasped when she saw small ice cubes floating in the pool, the water around her chilling remarkably.

"Good one, Luce!" Natsu cheered triumphantly. "You soaked him!"

"He was already wet," Lisanna pointed from the sidelines. Levy's face went red from her continuous laughter.

Natsu crossed his arms over his chest with Lucy's feet caught under his biceps. His grin widened when Gray slowly spun around. "You put fucking _ice_ in there," he seethed, "That's it. Juvia, get on my shoulders, we're not letting them live this down."

"Sure thing, Gray-sama," she cheered, swimming over to him as he descended under water. She took a shaky breath before sitting over his shoulders, her hands instinctively clutching his hair, tugging, as he rose. She struggled at first to find an even balance, not used to the overwhelming height, and Gray placed his palms securely over her thighs, standing at his tallest. "Woah, okay, Juvia is…" she couldn't find the right words to describe how she felt at this moment, so she said the only thing that came close, " _tall_. Is this what it's like to be Bixslow-kun?"

"Every day," He shouted. She was surprised he heard her from the bar.

"C'mon, Juvia, focus," Gray said from under her. "You know the plan."

"Yes, Gray-sama!"

"Alright, I don't want a good, clean match. I demand blood, sweat, and tears from all four of you before anyone gives up. Men, protect your women, and girls, start fighting. Go!"

Juvia tightened her grip in Gray's hair, finding inner balance before he jumped back when Natsu charged forward. Lucy, like Natsu, advanced forward but with no one in front to support her weight, she started losing balance. Juvia nudged Gray's ribs with her foot and he stepped forward, close enough for Juvia to reach Lucy's outstretched arms and pull her forward.

Lucy belly flopped into the pool and everyone winced at the sound. The sound was so painful it made Juvia's toes curled. She almost felt guilty.

"Did Lu-chan really belly flop into the pool? Did I imagine that or was that real?" Levy asked while holding onto Cana for support.

"She's taking it like a man," Elfman commented.

Evergreen rolled her eyes and shifted away from the body builder. "That doesn't make sense, you big oaf! She hasn't even come up yet."

"Oh no…" Juvia murmured. She remembered the first time she did her first belly flop. She was eight at the time and playing truth or dare with her brother, Gajeel, who challenged her to do the infamous bellyflop; Juvia had no idea what she was getting herself into. She gratefully took the chance to do an easy dare – _"You mean all Juvia has to do is jump into the pool on her tummy? Gajeel-kun is just handing out the points now."_

She was a fool to think Gajeel was going easy on her.

Two minutes later she ran into the house crying with an equally tearful Gajeel chasing after her, apologizing refusely and begging her not to tell their father it was his idea, but she dobbed him in anyway. It was the first time she heard someone describe Gajeel as a sadist but it certainly wasn't the last.

"Good shot, Juvia," Gray praised. She let out a shaky breath when his hands rested on her, his warm skin on enough to make her lightheaded. A pleasant shiver went up her spine when both his hands squeezed her, but he wasn't reacting at all like Juvia.

 _Didn't he feel anything she did?_

Gray waited for Lucy's head to pop up before he began cackling menacingly – _Juvia would also describe Gray as a sadist_ – and if Juvia knew anything about facial expressions, Natsu was listing all the different ways he'd like to kill them.

"My tummy…" Lucy sulked, her face scrunched in discomfort as she cradled her stomach. "That has got to be cheating."

"I would expect that kind of retort from Natsu, but not from you, Lucy." Gray chuckled, unfazed by her accusation.

"You totally cheated!" Natsu snarled.

"How did we cheat?"

"You ran away! You're meant to fight!"

"I'm with Natsu and Lucy. That wasn't manly at all," Elfman commented from the sidelines.

"Me too," Levy agreed.

"We didn't cheat," Gray informed them, "It's something called 'having a strategy'."

Juvia nodded, a feeling similar to pride swelling in her chest. Her lips curved into a smirk and she lifted a delicate hand over her lips, a giggle escaping past her lips, "Juvia used to be on the swim team in High School, so Juvia has some experience in pool activities.

"They're not wrong," Bickslow chipped in while making his way beside Erza, "No rules were broken here, they just thought ahead. What do you think, Erza?"

"The point goes to Juvia and Gray," she concluded. Natsu booed the same time Gray and Juvia cheered.

"Good decision, Erza," Levy cheered.

"I thought you were on our side…" Lucy murmured to herself. "And what kind people devise a plan for this kind of game anyway?"

Natsu scoffed swore revenge against his opponents. They resumed starting positions and the second round began.

Both teams went straight for it, neither Lucy nor Juvia holding back as they fought with brows pulled in concentration. Juvia was so focused on not letting Lucy get the upper hand she drowned out all noise around her, concentrating on her opponent and trusting Gray to do his best with Natsu.

She could feel Gray making sharp movements and, at times, not use his hands to hold her down. She tried calling for his attention but he continued shoving Natsu, ignoring her and she wasn't sure whether or not it was on purpose. She called his name again and froze when Natsu's eyes locked with hers. There was a dangerous twinkle in them that made her regret looking down, and the next time Gray let her go to shove the pink haired man, she helplessly watched Natsu grab her by the ankle, lift her legs, and push her backwards into the water.

 _No, no, no!_

When she came up for air Gray was already shouting at Erza. "That was cheating! You're not meant to touch the girls!"

"Since when has that been a rule?" Natsu ruled in defence. "I've never heard of it before! Not once!"

Erza stood silent alongside Bixslow who seemed equally uncertain. "As the judge advocate for this match I have decided to leave this decision to my second in command, Bixslow," Erza announced with an aura of fake confidence. Bixslow stared at her with uncertainty.

"What did you say?!" Gray and Natsu shouted in unison.

"She doesn't know the rules," Lucy guessed. Erza lips curved into a guilty grin.

"I say Natsu and Lucy get the point," Bixslow declared. Natsu and Lucy cheered the same time Gray cursed Bixslow out. He held his hands up in defence and grinned, "Don't get angry at me. Focus on the next round; it's neck and neck, so whoever loses has to face the punishment."

"Alright, screw it; we'll get them this time." said Gray.

A second time she climbed atop his shoulders, and although she were used to the overwhelming height, her heart still hammered hard as she thought about where his hands were. _His skin is so warm._

"Go!"

Juvia fought, despite the tingling sensations swirling inside her body, the only thing pushing her forward was knowing once they win, she would get to see Gray's cheerful face because of her. _And_ she disliked the idea of non-swimmers beating her in her element. That would truly be an embarrassment.

Juvia grinned at seeing Lucy's disgruntled face but her jabs were sharper and pensive as time went on. One of Lucy's hands pushed her shoulder as the other aimed closer to her stomach, each jab inching higher as Juvia continued swatting her hands away.

Gray's continued fighting Natsu beneath her but his steps were uneven and every now and then he would stagger, causing her to lose her centre. She just had to fight harder.

Juvia gave up on defence and used all her body weight to push Lucy into the water; however, it seemed Lucy had the same idea. Juvia almost completely lost her balance when Lucy shoved her, her hands caught between the valleys of her breasts, but she clung onto her opponent's arms, quickly regaining composure.

Something tickled Juvia's stomach and Lucy froze, her eyes glued to Juvia's chest, unblinking. Juvia didn't waste a second and used enough strength to shove Lucy off Natsu's shoulders. She heard a squeal before a loud splash, concluding their win. Gray cheered for their victory and Juvia could hear Bixslow wolf-whistle and hoot form the sidelines so she beamed at him, but Erza shoved him into the pool.

Cana ran up beside Erza, unblinking, her eyes transfixed on something near her stomach. _"Fuck yeah, Juvia!"_ Cana cheered loud enough for the people next door to hear. Levy ran up beside her in a fit of giggles with cheeks redder than the frosted Bloody Mary in her hand. "Everybody, take notes. _That's how you win!"_

Juvia was slightly confused, seeing as she didn't do anything rather extravagant.

"Juvia's a real man!"

A particularly cold gust of wind sent shivers down her spine and she folded her arms over her chest. She could feel her hardened nipples against her forearm and she froze. The bathing suit surely couldn't be that thin? She spent a good fifty dollars on it! The thing should come with a cape at that price.

Something tickled her stomach again and she aimlessly caught it between her fingers.

It was the string of her bathing suit.

 _No…_

She glanced down and her heart stopped. It _was_ the string of her bathing suit. The tie had come undone sometime during their battle, and now her breasts were on display for everyone to see. Without a second thought Juvia covered herself the best she could while flailing _– thrashing_ – around, losing whatever dignity she had left.

 _She needed to get off Gray's shoulders._

Juvia almost growled when Gray's grip tightened around her thighs in an attempt to keep her still. "What are you doing? I'll just let you down, stop moving around. You're hurting me! _Ow!"_

"This is so humiliating! _Stop looking, Cana_ – Juvia needs to get off!" Juvia continued to struggle on his shoulders. Gray was clueless. _And persistent._

"Gray, let her go—" Lucy began "—her bikini came undone!"

He stilled beneath her. _"Wait, what?"_

His hands loosened around her thighs and she threw herself back into the pool, her entire body submerged in water. She used the time to retie her suit but remained under; despite being immersed in water she was sure her face was redder than Levy's by now.

 _So embarrassing…_

She remained under water until her lungs were on fire. Checking one last time nothing was going to fall out and her knot was secure, she slowly rose to the top, coming to a halt when her eyes and nose were her only features people could see. Juvia was surprised to see everyone not laughing and poking fun at her, but instead smiling and cheering for her.

"That was some strategy you came up with," Erza complimented her. "I will make sure to remember that."

Juvia blinked.

"The element of surprise truly works," Lisanna said to her brother and Evergreen nudged Fried with an elbow.

"If we really work hard I think this could help with Laxus' next match."

"How did you come up with that?" Natsu asked her and she slowly rose from the pool, subconsciously touching her bikini top to make sure it was still there before standing at her full height. So everyone thought she did it to win the match? Juvia was competitive, but she wouldn't go to such extremes since she hated showing off her body, but obviously they didn't know that.

"Uh… someone did the same thing to Juvia in high school… so… Juvia thought she should try it out," she lied sheepishly, but everyone seemed to believe her tale. Well, _almost_ everyone.

Gray swam to her side. His lips curved into a smirk wide enough she almost mistook the gesture for the kind of smile he saves for his family. Her stomach did summersaults; the water around her wasn't enough to cool down her heated skin. "That wasn't on purpose, was it?"

"It came loose when Lucy pulled it," she explained. His laugh was raspy and low and she was almost glad for her bikini malfunction. _Almost_. "Not funny, Gray-sama. That was humiliating. Juvia will never live this down."

Gray jerked his head towards their friends. "Those idiots have no idea it was an accident. No need to be embarrassed about it now; everyone just thinks you'll do anything to win."

Her smile played tug-of-war with her emotions, but how could she be sad when Gray was looking at her so happily, especially with it being this time of year. She gave in, a small laugh escaping her lips. "They're not wrong, Juvia _is_ a force to be reckoned with," she reminded him. "If anything, they should be scared for upcoming pool contest, Juvia's already shown everyone her breasts so there's nothing else left to lose, right, Gray-sama?"

Something caught in his throat when she looked up at Gray, an unreadable expression on his face, but it resulted in flushed cheeks and the beginning of a coughing fit. "Uh – yeah, right. I think it's time to start drinking. Definitely."

"Okay, Gray-sama," she smiled.


	2. Chapter 2

Hello, it's been a while. If you've been waiting for this chapter then I am very sorry it took so long, and if you haven't, then happy reading! Well, happy reading regardless.

* * *

Finally, after the hype of seeing Juvia's breasts had settled, her accidental 'nip slip' being a thing of the past – _in Juvia's hopeful mind at least_ – Mirajane had gathered a few people and suggested they play some drinking games. Juvia, wanting nothing more than to forget the entire afternoon happened, was more than up for the chance to drink excessively and call it a 'game', but to drink meant to lose, and she found herself stuck between her pride and the want to forget.

Juvia played alongside Bixslow, Mirajane, Loke, and Cana; their questions were along the lines of sexual experiences so Juvia sat with a smug grin, five fingers in the air, and her cup untouched. That was until the last person she wanted to see snuck up behind her.

"Gray, long time no see," Loke grinned.

"Yeah, man, good to see you, too." Gray greeted with a lopsided grin, easing into the hot tub beside Juvia. His arm grazed hers and when he was seated, he threw an arm over her shoulder to give them more room, and Juvia nearly died of a heart attack. "What's happening over here?"

"We're playing a game." Mirajane smiled sweetly, however Juvia couldn't look her in the eye at the minute. Not with her newfound knowledge. To say the least, Mirajane was definitely losing.

"Yeah, what's the game?"

" _Never Have I Ever_ ," Cana answered with challenging grin. "You want to get in on this? Juvia hasn't lost once."

Juvia noticed his eyes trail to her and she avoided his gaze, hiding her untouched cup behind her. Gray was familiar with Juvia's need to win, but as much as he enjoyed working alongside her, she knew he liked toying with her just as much.

"Yeah, alright." He answered, smug. "Seems a little small for just the six of us. I'll be back, I'll go grab Natsu."

"No, no," Juvia cut in quickly. "Gray-sama doesn't have to do that, six is plenty."

"Something wrong, Juvia?" Bixslow taunted, smirking. "You're a little jumpy."

"I'm fine," she pressed, pinching her knuckles from habit. Having not only one, but _two_ of her best friends playing against her would serve as a great hindrance, especially with their competitive nature. "Just… uh," she had no proper reason to protest, other than she simply wanted to win. She quickly glanced at Mirajane, and then the hot tub, and then anything else for an idea. Any idea. "The, uh… water. The water will, uh, overflow with more people, right? And you just bought it. You wouldn't want the water… going everywhere."

Mirajane waved a hand. "It'll be fine! There's still plenty of room," she assured her with a smile. Juvia smiled a tight, fake kind of smile in return, but Mira's curious eyes were following something beyond Juvia's shoulder, and slowly her eyes widened, followed by her mouth, and then she shouted: "Oh, it's Natsu! Natsu! Over here!"

"What?" Juvia gasped.

"Shit," Cana smiled, unbelievingly amused by the situation. "It's really him."

Juvia slumped in her seat and slowly encased herself in the warm water, like if she tried hard enough, the substance would rid her mistakes. Bixslow's entire face lit up in amusement, and Loke commented: "That's funny, but not entirely unexpected. We're all attending the same party after all."

"Yeah, but it's the timing," Cana replied.

"Ah, that is true. Timing _is_ perfect." He lifted his beer to her. "But not as perfect as your unique mind."

She cringed, inching away from Loke so she was almost out of the hot tub. "Leave me and my unique mind alone."

"Well, Never Have I Ever thought that would happen," Gray joked as Natsu arrived with a bottle in each hand. Juvia elbowed him but sucked in her cheeks to prevent a smile.

" _Don't,"_ Cana snapped at Gray. "Your puns aren't welcome here. This is an anti-pun hot tub."

"Natsu," Mirajane smiled, cutting off any chance for Gray to respond to Cana's jabs. "Would you like to play our game?"

"Uh…" he cast a quizzing glance at Gray who nodded, assuring him this was something he'd want to do, but as hard as he tried, Natsu wasn't entirely getting the message. "I… sure?"

Gray rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. "I'll fill you in, just get in."

Natsu waited a second, pondering, before he climbed in-between Cana and Gray. Gray leaned in and whispered into his ear, and unfortunately Juvia couldn't see Natsu's expression thanks to Gray's wonderfully toned, broad shoulders, but when he leaned back and Natsu was in her line of sight, grinning at her like a mischievous child, the small light of hope inside her diminished.

"I'm so in, bring it on!" Natsu exclaimed, determined and excited as he handed one of the bottles to Loke. "Here, everyone can fill their cups with this. It's mixed; I've got two more in my bag."

"Natsu, my man!" Cana cheered.

"What is it?" Loke asked as he unclasped the lid, but it was snatched out of his hands before he could sniff the liquid.

"Who gives a shit," Bixslow, who stole the bottle, eagerly poured the substance into his cup. "We'll find out when you lose."

Loke lifted a brow. "When _I_ lose?"

Bixslow smirked to himself and handed the bottle to Juvia, and she passed it to Gray since her cup was full from her previous win. "Uh, I don't have a cup," he told Juvia.

Juvia shrugged a shoulder and toyed with a lock of hair. "Guess Gray-sama can't play."

He chuckled and ran his tongue across his front teeth. "Alright. So you're going to play like that, are you?"

"Like what?" she teased. Juvia knew this wouldn't prohibit Gray from participating, but joking around with him always gave her the most wonderful butterflies. "Gray-sama can't really play without something to drink from."

She was startled when a flying red object zoomed across the hot tub and collided with Gray's nose. An automatic laugh shot out of her like a reflex, but her amusement died down when Gray teasingly shook the item in his hand. A red cup.

"There," said Bixslow, catching her attention. "Now fill it up and let's get started."

"Is there another one for Natsu?" Mirajane asked.

"I'm drinkin' out the bottle," he declared, smirking, and raised the second bottle.

Cana lifted her drink to him. "There's no better way."

"Alright, let's get this thing started already," Bixslow smirked, leaning forward. "I'll even take the liberty of going first: Never Have I Ever had sex in someone else's car."

From participating in the previous round, Juvia wasn't surprised to see Mirajane and Loke sipping from their cups, unlike Gray who sat with his mouth wide open, horrified.

"Okay, my turn," Mirajane smiled sweetly. "Never Have I Ever measured my penis."

Natsu choked on what Juvia guessed was his own spit, and Gray's hands flew to cover his cute, reddening face. "What kind of question is that?" Natsu shouted, flustered and blushing.

Mirajane, taking no threat toward Natsu's exclaim, smiled sweetly, contrasting his chaotically distressed aura. "If you don't want to answer the question and properly play the game, then you're free to leave."

Natsu paused. Juvia wasn't sure whether she meant _leave the hot tub_ or _leave the party_ , and with it being Mirajane, both outcomes were possible. Natsu, also considering this, gradually sat back down and mumbled an apology.

Despite the question not being aimed at Juvia, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed with extremely heated cheeks, and yet she found herself ogling as all boys, with faces like her own, sipped at their drinks. _That meant… Gray-sama has…_

"Alright, cool, my question," Loke grinned. "Never Have I Ever had sex on a school trip."

"On a school trip?" Juvia questioned, finding it impossible to find the time and the desire to sneak away without teachers noticing a student's absence, but when she saw Mirajane and Bixslow have another swig of the drink, her tone changed. "On a _school trip?!"_

Mirajane waved a hand, and the corners of Bixslow's mouth turned upwards as he ruffled Juvia's locks. "What's the big deal?" Bixslow teased. "It's just a bit of fun."

Gray chuckled disbelievingly. "Really? You know you're asking a _soon-to-be-teacher_ why students having sex on a school excursion is a bad thing, yeah?

"You think she'd never do that?"

Gray frowned in confusion. "Have sex on an excursion? No, I just said that."

"Not as a student, idiot, as a teacher. Maybe with, I don't know, a principle?"

Juvia ignored Gray's questionable side-glance because she was too busy glaring at Bixslow, and wondering if spontaneous human combustion was a real thing. _Of course_ Erza's explicit, and unrealistic, imagination was going to be a topic of conversation in the hot tub. Between Cana and Bixslow, a change of conversation wouldn't be any time soon, and it wasn't until she noticed she had Loke's undivided attention that he wasn't going to let it go either.

"Hm. Juvia wearing one of those tight, white blouses' that expose a red lacy bra would be _extravagant_. Oh, and add some black rimmed glasses, and red lipstick, and then she's slowly eating an apple… wait, no, a lollipop she convesgated from a student…" Juvia's hands covered her chest when he leaned forward, his eyes greedily studying her body. "Oh my. You're right; I can totally see the teacher thing now. And I don't think I've ever said this before, but you have a wonderful body, Juvia."

"Right?!" Cana was ecstatic someone else was aboard the _Juvia-teacher-scandal_. "Throw in some fish net stockings and there's the whole package."

"Package?" Bixslow smirked. Juvia inwardly sighed at the pun.

"No, no. We have to be careful. Juvia's body is a work of art, but right now we're dressing her up for some cheesy porno," Loke commented.

"What the hell are you guys on about?" Raged Natsu. "This is Juvia we're talking about!"

"What do you mean?" Loke asked.

"Juvia wouldn't – _Juvia isn't_ ," Natsu fumbled, aggressively confused as he tugged at his hair, frustrated. "I don't know what this-this teacher thing is all about, but Juvia – no, she can't – that's _– it's weird!_ It's _Juvia._ "

"I think we should address her as Ms Lockser from now on."

"Okay, okay, I get it," Juvia intervened before it could go any further. Her face was flushed a deep red and she was hiding behind her cup, embarrassed. "Can we just continue with the game?"

"What's this teacher thing?" Gray asked her, a slight edge to his tone.

Juvia had trouble meeting his eyes, not wanting to meet his stare. She pinched her knuckles and stuttered out a response. "Um, J-Juvia will tell Gray-sama… later."

His brows knitted together and he crossed his arms over his chest. "How come I'm the only one left in the dark?"

"Oi, I don't know what they're going on about either," Natsu threw his hands in the air.

"It's just something Erza-san came up with," Juvia told them. "And, well, she won't let it go. It's really nothing, just her imagination going wild."

Juvia was surprised to see Gray's features soften as he chuckled, using the arm draped over her shoulders to pull her against him. "Erza. Enough said, I know what kind of crap that girl can get into her head," he said fondly, and then more softly in ear, "Um… sorry."

Juvia's heart swelled ten times its size. She took advantage of this moment and cozied into his side, everything inside her swimming in delight by being pressed to his warm skin. _To do this every day with him casually would be surreal._

"Alright, motherfuckers, as much as I love talking about how hot Juvia is, there's something I love more than that, and that's getting people drunk, so…" Cana leaned forward, her eyes glazed from drinking, "Never Have I Ever kissed someone who was in a relationship."

Loke and Bixslow both drank from their cups.

"No surprises there," Gray commented.

"Finally, my turn! I've been sittin' on this one for a while." Natsu's eyes darted to Juvia as the corner of his mouth turned up, and then he sent Gray a knowing look before saying: "Never Have I Ever drunk dialled my old man and said I wanted to become a ventriloquist."

Juvia almost jumped out of the hot tub. "Natsu!" She exclaimed as everyone fell into a fit of laughter. Heat crept into her cheeks and she slumped back into the hot tub, hiding her face behind her hands. Gray squeezed her shoulder and she would've found it comforting if he weren't still laughing.

"What?!" Bixslow barked a laugh. "A fucking ventriloquist? _Really?"_

"Isn't that the thing with the puppets?" Cana questioned with amusement lacing her tone.

"Juvia was drunk!" she defended and pointed an accusing finger at the pink haired sell-out. "It was all Natsu-san's fault."

That snapped him out of it. "Oi! Quit blamin' me for that! I tried telling you it was a bad idea!"

"Natsu-san gave Juvia the drink's in the first place!"

Natsu scoffed and crossed his arms. "I bought it for you because you didn't know what you wanted to study in college, and you were freakin' out! It worked; you calmed down… kinda."

"Natsu-san said Juvia should consider ventriloquism, so I did!" She retorted, but betrayed herself when the corners of her mouth lifted into the smallest grin. _Dammit._

"You're smiling!" Mirajane noticed.

"J-Juvia is not," she lied, covering her mouth with her hands. Gray immediately pried her hands away with great difficultly but she gave in when she realized he was literally all around her. His legs somehow rested atop her thighs and his warm chest was pressed against her shoulder and bicep, and with his arm still slung around her shoulder, his body was _literally surrounding her_. Suddenly the heat of the water and steam and Gray was way too much.

"You are smiling!" Gray chuckled warmly when he let go of her wrists, affection glowing in his eyes. "I knew it."

"Time to drink," Loke pointed.

"Whatever," Juvia pouted, ignoring the warmth in her chest and butterflies in her stomach. She had a decent mouthful. It went down her throat smoothly and everyone cheered when she finished, and then with great reluctance, she said, "okay, its Gray-sama's turn."

She knew he was looking at her and she absolutely refused to meet his stare. "Alright," he grinned, "Never Have I Ever thought flamingos were mythical creatures."

"Gray-sama!" Juvia shouted instantly, pinching his side as everyone began to laugh all over again. "You—agh! Juvia will get you back!" she promised as she sculled her drink. Fine, if she was going down, she was taking them down with her. She didn't wait for everyone to settle down and got straight into it, determined. "Okay, so it's Juvia's turn. Never Have I Ever…" she smirked, "been a boy."

Natsu paused, staring like he couldn't quite hear her. "What?"

"Does that even count?" Gray asked.

"I don't see why not," Mirajane replied.

"Drink up, boys!" Cana cheered, and after great reluctance, they did. The game continued on like that until two full circles later, Juvia realized she had an ace up her sleeve that would certainly give her the upper hand. From their previous match, Natsu had to do one thing Juvia told him to, so ordered him to work alongside her and bring Gray down, and not surprisingly, Natsu gladly sided with her despite Gray's heated protests.

As time went on people joined and some left, and a half hour later Lucy came running to Juvia's side with a mobile phone, a towel, and her over shirt. She was out of breath, and trying her hardest to be serious when she was definitely drunk. "Juvia! There you are," she gasped, doubling over to catch her breath. "Your phone's been ringing non-stop. It's your dad."

Juvia's heart stopped and she immediately tried climbing out of the hot tub, but her hands slipped against the slippery edge and both Gray and Lucy reached out to catch her. Juvia blinked, trying to sort out her head and focus on her second attempt to exit the hot tub successfully.

"Are you okay?" Lucy asked, concerned.

"Hmm," Juvia hummed, steadying herself before throwing a leg over the edge. Gray's large hands held her waist firmly but instead of being helpful, his warm, strong hold served as a distraction. Lucy placed her belongings on the ground and grasped Juvia's forearms, pulling as Gray lifted Juvia successfully out of the tub. Gray jumped out after her, stumbling slightly, but was much quicker.

"Here," Lucy said, giving Juvia her mobile.

"What happened?" Gray asked Juvia when she looked at her screen. It was bright and the lines blurred together, so she brought it closer and focused all her attention to reading her notifications.

7 missed calls from: _Father._

1 message from: _Father._

"Juvia?" Gray called her name again, but she ignored him and unlocked her phone to check the message.

 _Darling, I have some news. Call me back when you can_

Juvia inhaled deeply and rubbed her eyes. Of all nights, it just had to be _tonight_. She had a general idea why he wanted to speak to her so urgently, but she didn't want to jump into any conclusions.

"Uh, it's just father," she told Gray, who wasn't pleased with her ignoring him. She accepted the towel from Lucy and wrapped it around her body.

"Is it about Gajeel?" Lucy asked when she didn't offer more information.

"He didn't say," she replied. Juvia motioned to her phone, "Juvia's going to take a walk and call him back."

Gray grasped her elbow, his stare hard as his death grip. "You're not going for a walk at night, especially when you're drunk."

"It's noisy here," she told him.

"It's quiet inside."

"Juvia wants air."

"There's plenty of air inside."

She was touched he cared for her safety, but she really couldn't deal with the possibility of being so close to all these intoxicated people if her father gave bad news, especially when _she_ was drunk, too. Juvia could be a very emotional drunk and a very angry one at that too. " _Fresh_ air," she pressed. "Juvia will only be ten minutes."

He scoffed. "I don't give a shit. I'm coming with you."

"Gray-sama—"

"I don't care what you say, I'm not letting you walk around by yourself," Gray argued. He snatched the shirt from Lucy's grasp and tossed it to Juvia. "Put it on and let's go."

Something angry burned deep in the pit of her stomach, and it took her a second to calm down and remember this was all from the good of his heart. Gray was incredibly protective over the people he cared about, but Juvia didn't appreciate how she was being talked to right now.

"Gray-sama," she said his name in an exhale, the calmest way she could despite reaching the end of her tolerance. "Juvia will be on the phone with father the entire time, and as soon as I'm finished, I'll call you or Lucy—"

"You're kidding, right?" he cut her off, glaring at her disbelievingly. "You've got to be fucking joking."

Her eyes narrowed. Lucy quickly stood between the two, lightly pushing Gray in the other direction. "Gray, it'll be fine. She'll just be outside."

His eye's widened with fury when his gaze locked with Lucy's. "Are you fucking thick?!" he snapped. A muscle in his jaw twitched as his body locked up with rage, and there was a fire in his eyes Juvia didn't recognise, but it ignited one of her own. "For fucks sake, I cannot believe we're even having this fucking discussion."

Juvia was about to snap at him when her phone started buzzing in her hand. She lifted the device and across the screen was written:

 _Dad Calling…_

She shook her head and went to leave. She didn't have time to argue with Gray, not when Gajeel could be involved. Someone grasped at her elbow and forcefully pulled her back so she stumbled over her two feet, but quickly regained her footing.

"Don't just walk away from me when I'm talking to you," Gray fumed. "We're not finished."

" _You've_ got to be joking if you thought just then was a _'discussion'_." She snapped back, and then the buzzing in her hand stopped. She stared at her phone and her eyes welled up with tears. This was too becoming too much. She didn't want to be fighting with her best friend, she just wanted to call her father and see if everything was alright. "Gray, please," she begged him, her sudden change of tone catching him off-guard for a moment. "Please, just let me talk to him."

His eyes softened, but she could tell he wasn't willing to let her go just yet. "Can't I just go with you?"

Her phone vibrated again and they both looked at the device in her hand. It was him again. "Gray, this has to be important. I swear to call you as soon as I'm finished."

He pressed his lips together and sighed deeply. "Promise?" he asked, and by the tone of his voice he didn't stand by her request, but agreed regardless.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and promised him she would. The hug was brief and when she let him go, she answered her father's call and raced outside, careful not to run into anyone or anything.

"Thank the lord. Is everything alright, my darling?" her father asked through the phone, his voice laced with worry. "You haven't been answering, I got worried."

"Juvia's fine," she mumbled, trying her best not to slur. "Just at a party."

"Hm, I hope you're being safe," he told her, and she could almost see his disapproving glare. "Are you with that roommate of yours?"

She sighed and rubbed her temples. "You know his name, father. Please use it."

He clicked his tongue, and she rolled her eyes. "I just hope you're making the right decisions."

"Father," Juvia said through clenched teeth. "Juvia doubts you called to ask about Gray-sama. What's going on? Is it Gajeel?"

His sigh was heavy and it did nothing to settle Juvia's chaotic nerves. "I had a lead."

"Had?"

"Yeah. He was last seen in a small town five hours east from you. We were so close, Juvia. I even located his hideaway, but by the time my buddies got there the place was completely trashed." He explained.

"Was it definitely where he was staying?" she asked.

"Some items were discovered. Clothes, books, some food; all of it seemed like something he'd own."

Juvia stopped in her tracks. "That's hardly enough to—"

"I wasn't finished, darling." He interrupted. She could hear the strain in his voice, how tired he was, so she quickly apologised and asked him to continue. "They found drugs, enough to send him away for a very long time."

"Father—"

"And they found a gun. His prints were all over it," he told her. Her heart sunk so quickly she had to sit down on the curb, staring down at her feet dumbfounded. "I didn't tell the detectives why I requested their help, but I assure you, daughter, they will remain silent about what they found."

"And how could you possibly know that?"

"Because they owe me a few _no-questions-asked_ ," he replied, stoic. If that was an attempt to make her feel better, it didn't work. "I promise I will find your brother."

Before she knew it, a single tear had fallen down her cheek and splashed onto the road. "It's been two years. I don't think he wants to be found," she said sadly, staring up at the obnoxiously large moon. She wondered if Gajeel was gazing at the stars, too. Stargazing was something they always did on a full moon as kids.

"I'll find that asshole, even if I have to dress up like some prostitute to do it," he chuckled.

She laughed lightly, wiping away a tear. "Yeah, okay."

"I love you, darling," he said softly. "Sorry for ruining your night."

"I love you, too, father," she smiled sadly.

"Make sure to visit your old man sometime soon," he added quickly.

"I'd like that. I should probably go. Goodnight."

"Okay, goodnight, darling."

She sighed and hung up the phone. She ran her fingers through her locks and tugged at the ends, focusing on her breathing. She hated this, not knowing where her brother was, and forcing her father to break his retirement to search for his delinquent, trouble making son. How could somebody be so selfish?

They may not be a family related by blood, but the bond the trio shared was something unbreakable, and she knew her father would continue searching for him even if it drove him to his grave.

This was too much to think about. Juvia decided to worry about this tomorrow and enjoy herself tonight, but she still needed time before she could return to her loud, bubbly friends. She dialled Gray's number and filled him in on what her father had just told her. He was worried for her. She knew he wasn't that concerned with Gajeel's wellbeing because of how he treated her in the past, he had told her multiple times, but he still assured her he'd be okay.

She told him she wasn't ready to return to a party in full swing, and after arguing and Juvia faking a cry, he agreed to let her walk around if she remained on the phone with him.

Juvia enjoyed strolling through the streets past midnight. She found peacefulness in empty roads and she relished the freedom of wandering the white panted lines in the middle of them, her thoughts and worries gone along with the noise and usual crowd. There was something about it. Juvia was constantly swimming in a pool of people, and she loved her life and her friends more than anything, but sometimes she needed a break.

"Gray-sama, I'm back," she said when she returned to the right address, however as she was walking across the front lawn she noticed a strangely long lump on the ground. She paused when it moved and rolled over, moaning and groaning, then as she got closer she noticed shoes, pants, a shirt and scarf, and a body: Natsu. "Uh, Natsu-san's on the front lawn."

"Really? Natsu?"

"Yeah," she almost laughed. Natsu was sprawled out on the grass with an arm draped over his eyes and a bottle in the other; she was confused. Natsu was a well-known extrovert, so being secluded of his own accord with a party just over the fence went against his characteristics. "Um, Juvia's just going to make sure he's alright. I'll only be ten minutes."

"You sure?" he sounded hesitant. "Do you want me to come outside?"

"It'll be fine," she assured him.

He sighed, but agreed. "Alright, ten minutes. Levy and Erza are kicking everyone's asses at beer pong and I need help putting them in their place."

She giggled, a blush making its way to her cheeks. "Sure thing, Gray-sama. I'll see you soon."

"Bye."

She hung up the phone, her heart fluttering wildly. Of course _now_ she couldn't wait to get back to the party, but there was something she needed to take care of first. "Natsu-san?" She called out, walking closer. "Everything alright?"

"Mhmm…yeah, I'm fine," he slurred but his tone told her otherwise.

"How drunk are you?" She halted at his feet, and he peeked up at her.

"Not very," he murmured, but it was clearly a lie when he brought the bottle to his lips with the lid still on. A low growl rumbled from the back of his throat. "Ah, fuck. Can you take the cap-thingie off?"

Juvia laughed and sat beside him. She unclasped the bottle then he took a quick swig, and then he offered it to her. She accepted the drink – thankfully it was premixed – and they swapped it back and forth in silence until only half the bottle remained. She leaned back on her elbows, her head swirling as she watched the stars multiply in the sky. They were very pretty tonight, and it reminded her of her brother. "The stars are cool," she told him. She wiggled her toes when her legs tingled. "Juvia likes the thought of what lies in space."

"Aliens should just come down to Earth already," said Natsu. "I mean, why wait. If they're goin' to blow us up, then damn, they should just do it already."

"But what about the friendly ones," she whispered slowly, her eyelids falling shut. _Grass is comfortable_. A bed made of grass would be wondrous.

" _Fuck_ the friendly ones," he swore loudly. He slowly sat up and flicked her cheek when he realised her eyes were glued shut. Her lids flickered open and her vision was hazy, but he continued on with his speech, trying to get his message across to her. "They're all evil, radioactive, fuckin' four eyed laser shooters who'll demand to see our leader," he told her. Juvia found herself nodding off at his words. Somehow hearing Natsu talk so passionately about aliens and the possible destruction of the universe soothed her. "Tell you what, Juvia; I'm sure as hell not waitin' around for them to destroy the world."

"Natsu vs aliens?" she sniggered, peeking up at him.

He glared at her. "You makin' fun of me?"

"No way in the _world_ ," she said but a giggle escaped her at the last second. "The _aliens_ , however… Juvia can't vouch for them."

He cringed at her pun and lay down beside her. "That was terrible," he said seriously.

"Sorry," she smiled. When he didn't say anything else she rested her head on his shoulder. "You sure nothings bothering you?"

"I said I'm fine." He grunted and turned his cheek.

She giggled and stretched her arms so they rested atop his face, something that would guarantee a reaction _. Hopefully a good one._ Juvia wasn't experienced with Natsu's drunken rage, or depression, unlike Lucy. Usually it was the cheerful blonde who'd comfort him when he was feeling down, and typically he would seek her out in his time of need, but for some reason tonight he didn't and so Juvia brought it upon herself to change his mood.

She blindly sought for his nose and once it was found, she caught it between her fingers and pinched until he shouted at her to stop. "Tell me what's wrong!" she cried out between laughs.

"Get off!" he warned, but she couldn't take him seriously with his nasal voice. " _Juvia!_ "

" _Natsu,_ " she shouted back. "Talk to me!"

"There's nothing to – would you let my fuckin' nose go!" He snapped. His hands clasped around her wrists and he wrenched them away rather forcefully, glaring at her with such venom she faltered, worried she had overstepped a boundary. Oh, god. She had never seen him so angry at her before. She should've realized this before. He was obviously out here for some peace and quiet and she came out here and made him feel even worse than before. She of all people should've understood that.

She inched back with tearful eyes. "Ah, Juvia's sorry." She said feebly while balancing on her knees. Trying to stand on her two feet was harder than she anticipated, and she felt like such an idiot. She was almost upright but she stumbled backwards until her back smacked hard against something flat and strong.

She pressed her palms against the rough surface. After a few moments of confused fondling, she recognised her saving grace as an incredibly large tree. "Thanks, tree," she murmured. She pats the bark one last time steadily eased herself into a standing position.

"Juvia, wait," Natsu called from the ground, previous venom gone but replaced with frustrated concern. "Sit back down. We just drank most of that bottle."

"Don't worry, Juvia feels fine," she assured him. To prove a point she slowly pushed herself from the tree and took two slow and steady steps, and then looked down at him with a smug smile as if to say _I-told-you-so_. "Did ya see that?"

Natsu propped himself on his elbows, unimpressed, but smirking. "It looks like you're walking a tight rope."

"Juvia could probably do that too with all these excellent walking skills," she boasted.

"All?" called a deep voice meters away. "Pretty sure walking doesn't require more than one ' _skill'._ "

Juvia's face brightened at the sight of Gray swaggering toward them. "Gray-sama!" She exclaimed sweetly. "What are you doing out here?"

"Looking for you," he frowned. "You said you'd be ten minutes a half hour ago."

Juvia's heart swelled that not only did he notice her absence, but he brought it upon himself to look for her. He truly was the most amazing man. "Sorry for taking so long," she smiled at him. "Juvia was with Natsu-san."

Gray's eyes drifted to the pink haired man as he eventually climbed to his feet. "Lucy's been looking for you," he told him, lifting his chin.

"Oh, really? Okay…" Natsu raked his fingers through his dishevelled hair and looked as if he was trying to keep his face placid, and failing miserably. "Um, you can just tell her I went home. I think I'm just gonna call a cab anyways."

Gray stared at him questionably for some time and when he realized he'd get no explanation for his weird demeanour, he said, "Well, I was thinking about going home soon, too." He turned to Juvia. "Or we can stay longer. I don't mind."

Everything inside of her wanted to jump around and shout 'I love Gray Fullbuster' over and over again until her lungs burnt out or he kissed her. Oh, god, what would that be like? A _Gray Fullbuster_ kiss… Juvia had only imagined it when she saw him in the mornings, and at night, and every time in-between.

She clapped her hands and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Let's go home, Gray-sama," she said dreamily.

He shifted and slowly untangled her limps from his body. "That's good, because I already called a cab."

She couldn't stop smiling even as she focused on not plummeting to the ground, however there was something she almost forgot to ask him. She drew nearer and Gray, noting the look in her eye that said _I-have-a-plan-you-might-not-agree-with_ , met her halfway and steadied her by gripping her elbows.

Enjoying the feeling of being touched by Gray, she sought out more by wrapping her hands around his toned and hard forearms, and she was lost in the light swimming in his eyes. God, he was beautiful.

"Juvia?"

"Mhmm?" she hummed.

"How much have you had to drink?"

She shook her head at him. No, she had something to ask him and she was getting off track. "Nothing. Juvia thinks—"

" _Nothing?_ Now that's bullshit."

"Okay, Juvia had some of something," she corrected quickly, "That's not the point. We should let Natsu-san sleepover."

His brows drew together and his mouth twisted in distaste. "What?"

Juvia glanced behind at Natsu, who was downing the bottle and stopped every few seconds when the burn was too much, and turned back to Gray. "Natsu-san's drunk and sad. He should have a sleepover at our place to cheer him up."

" _You're_ drunk," he stressed, shaking her shoulders so she would focus on him. "I don't think I have the energy to keep track of both of you."

"Everything'll be fine," she assured him, shaking him back. A small smile played at his lips and she fought the urge to caress his cheek. "We can camp out in the lounge room."

"No, no. No-fucking-way," Gray demurred, letting her go and folding his arms.

Her mouth fell open. "Why?" she whined.

"I'm not sleeping in the lounge room when I have my own bed," he justified.

"Gray-sama," she pouted, grasping his wrists. "It'll be so much fun! We can watch movies—"

"I hate movies," he deadpanned.

Juvia paused and her mouth fell open as she was caught off-guard for a moment. He _did_ hate movies. "U-Um, okay, we can watch that TV show that just came out. Or that basketball game? Juvia remembered to tape it."

He thought about it for a second. "It's not a bad idea, but I don't want to watch it if Natsu's either going to be snoring or vomiting the entire time."

"I can hear your fuckin' shit talk from here, asshole," Natsu cussed, tossing the almost empty bottle near the curb. He stumbled toward them with a dangerous fire in his eyes and tightly closed fists, stopping a few feet away he pulled his shoulders back and lifted his chin, but there was an inescapable air of dejection around him that Juvia couldn't ignore. "I'm goin' home. _My_ home."

"Natsu-san, wait," she called out but he was already heading off in the other direction – the _wrong_ direction to his house, if she recalled correctly. _"Natsu-san!"_

"Oi, dumbass! You don't live that way!"

Natsu spun around in fury. He opened his mouth and suddenly collapsed onto his knees, vomiting into the grass, surprising them all.

The second Juvia saw bile projecting from his mouth a steady flow of saliva coated her tongue and spilled past her lips, so she pushed Gray away and stumbled behind the tree and fell to her knees as a forceful amount of _whatever-was-in-Juvia's-stomach_ splattered atop of Mirajane's beautiful roses. " _No…_ not the roses," she cried. Her eyes brimmed with tears and a second wave coursed through her with such force she swore one of the stems snapped.

She remained out of sight behind the tree for a few minutes until she heard Gray's voice. "Are you okay, Juvia?"

"Stay away," she warned him. She crawled backwards and coughed into the ground, wheezing and groaning. _"Juvia hates everything…"_

A hand appeared in front of her face as she wiped the corners of her mouth. "C'mon," it was Gray. She looked up and saw Natsu's arm draped over his shoulders. Surprisingly he was still managing to stand, with Gray's help. Somehow Natsu hadn't passed out, but his head continued lolling from one side to the other. "We're going home."

She was upset Gray had seen her in this state, but with their long history it wasn't anything he hadn't seen before. Juvia didn't take his hand since she was sure the unpleasant stickiness of her bile remained glued to her fingers, so she utilised the tree for support until she was standing on her two feet. "Is Natsu-san coming home, too?"

"Yeah, but I'm not sleeping on the couch," he told her.

"Gray-sama can always bunk with Juvia," she said dreamily.

He leaned down and his lips brushed her ear, and her heart stopped. "If you want to sleep with me, you're gonna have to try harder than that," he whispered, his raspy voice sending jolts all throughout her body in the most inappropriate way. When he stood straight Juvia couldn't look him in the eye, let alone close her mouth or utter any witty response. He turned around. "C'mon, taxi's here. Or do I have to carry you, too?"

"Mhmm… you're not… fuckin' carryin' me," Natsu muttered. "Let's go, Juvi."

Juvia silently followed them. Did that really just happen? Or was she imagining things all over again? Damnit, why did he say something like that when she was drunk and probably covered in her own vomit? Just… be _cool._ , just chill out. Casual. Gray's a casual kind of guy.

 _So… I'll just be a casual kind of girl,_ she told herself.

Juvia stood in the kitchen mixing something in a bowl. She couldn't remember how she had gotten to this point, and the only thing she recalled was craving Fanta and Coca Cola, and she couldn't choose between the two. Gray was somewhere inside the house with Natsu, probably finding something for him to wear and setting up the couch for him.

Juvia, though, was trying to act casual. In the taxi she stole Natsu's sunglasses and wore them despite the darkness outside. Cool people wore sunglasses _all the time_ , and neither Gray nor Natsu found weird at all, but because no one talked to her she accidently fell asleep in the car. It wasn't until she heard the sounds of Natsu puking as he was exiting the cab did she came back to earth.

"Juvia, did you wash Natsu's clothes from the other week?" Gray shouted through the house.

She froze. _Okay, Juvia, this is your chance. You fell asleep in the cab, but it's okay, he didn't notice. Act cool._ "Uh, yeah, man, it's in my bottom left drawer!" she called back. Okay. Okay, alright, that was cool. Wait. Bottom left? _Shit, shit, no…_ that was where she stores all her sanitary towels. "No, _no!_ Bottom right! The right side, not the left!"

"You sure?"

Shit, she lost him. That wasn't cool at all. _I need to remind him that I'm chill._ "Yeah, bro!"

"Juvia, what the fuck?" Natsu shouted from the other room. "Why are you so—fucking, shit. _No—_ "

" _Fuck!_ No, you _dumbass!_ Not on her _—shit._ Shit, shit _, shit._ Juvia!"

"M'sorry, Juvia!"

Juvia dropped her mixing spoon and hurried to her bedroom, still holding the bowl. When she arrived at her doorway Natsu's entire front was covered in his vomit, and so were her bedsheets. Natsu was still vomiting all over her cot and she had to get away, fearful his sounds would trigger her own sickness.

Gray followed her out of the room, groaning and pulling at his hair in frustration. "Shit, I'm sorry; I didn't think he'd throw up all over your bedding."

"It's—"

"I'm so sorry, Juvi!" Natsu called out from her bedroom.

She sighed but smiled into her hand. "It's fine!" she shouted back, and then she looked at Gray and said: "It's really fine, it's not—"

"Are you sure?" yelled Natsu.

The corner of her mouth quirked up in a smile, but Gray was only growing frustrated with him. "She said it's fine, dumbass! So shut up, we have neighbours!"

"Fuck you, Gray!"

"Don't," Juvia said quickly before Gray was about to retort, and she could tell he didn't believe her when she assured him it was okay. "It really is fine. There are worse things than vomit."

Gray cringed. "You're not thinking of actually sleeping in that bed?"

"No way," Juvia replied. She spun around and walked toward her bedroom. _Be cool. Be cool. Be cool._ "Juvia's going to sleep with Gray-sama tonight."

She was surprised to hear him chuckle, closely following her into her bedroom. "You seem quite confident about that."

She shrugged and got Natsu's spare t-shirt out of her drawers. "Either Juvia share's a small couch with Natsu-san or a double bed with Gray-sama," she smirked at him over her shoulder. _Be cool._ "It's purely for comfort."

He chuckled at the doorway. "Sure."

Sure? Was that it? Was that a yes?

"Alright. Natsu, get off your ass and into the shower." Gray said as he made his way over to the nearly passed out man. He lifted his arm over his shoulder and hauled him to his feet, struggling under the deadweight. He looked to Juvia. "I'll get this guy cleaned. You strip the bed and get the couch ready for him."

"Sure," she handed him Natsu's clothes.

She quickly cleaned her room, putting her sheets and everything with vomit in the washing machine. She set up the couch and once that was done, she grabbed her pyjamas and helped Gray with getting Natsu to the couch when he finished up in the shower. She placed towels around him where possible vomit could land, and then had a shower of her own.

Gray went in straight after and said he'd meet her in his room and left before he could see her flustered expression. She checked on Natsu one last time, and then went into his room and lay on his bed, stiff as a board from nerves. Gray came in fifteen minutes later and lay beside her; the bed was big enough for them not to touch but occasionally their arms would brush against each other.

They struck conversation, and Gray even opened another beer as they talked about whatever crossed their minds, but there was something Juvia needed to ask. "Gray-sama…"

"Hm?"

"Um, Juvia was just wondering… why Gray-sama was so… _concerned_ with the teacher thing." She could understand him getting angry when he was being protective, but she couldn't piece together why he would act so negatively toward something like _that_. It didn't make sense, not unless he had feelings similar too her own. And now she had enough courage to ask him about.

"I… uh, I guess… uh, this is embarrassing. Don't worry about it," he dismissed, but there was no way in hell Juvia was going to give up now.

She sat up on the bed and leaned toward him. "No! Gray-sama must tell Juvia!

"W-Why?!" he stuttered, sitting up. "It's not important!"

"It might be important to Juvia," she responded, determined and hopeful.

"It's not, trust me." He lay back down, and said more softly, "I was just being stupid."

Juvia stared at him for a long time. Stupid? How could this man possibly think himself as stupid? He was one of the brightest people she knew. "Gray-sama's not stupid," she said quietly, but her voice was strong.

He laughed. "Yeah. I guess that idiot in our lounge rom is a pretty good reminder. Sorry I couldn't stop him from—"

"Don't try and change the subject," she cut him off. "Juvia's not stupid either."

"It's really nothing," he assured her.

 _Nothing?_ No. "It's not _nothing_ when it's you."

He didn't say anything for a long time and she was worried she overstepped the line a second time tonight. She jumped when something warm wrapped tightly around her fingers, and then her entire body froze when she realized it was Gray. "You're great, you know?"

She blushed, too scared to move in case she would mess it up, but she still wanted her answer. "Distracting Juvia with flattery only works momentary, Gray-sama."

He sighed and squeezed her hand. _And her heart_. "Alright, fine, you worked for it." He turned to face her, and she followed his movement. "Okay. I… I was jealous, alright? There. You happy?"

Juvia's mouth fell open and her eyes welled with tears. "J-Jealous?" She swallowed what felt like her heart. She couldn't believe it. Gray was actually confessing to her properly. She pictured this moment a thousand times but she wasn't prepared like she was in her fantasies.

"Well, I know you, and I know you don't date or anything like that, and then suddenly Bixslow's implying you're sleeping around – not that that's a bad thing! But I was just… really angry," he confessed. It was dark but she could see him refusing to meet her eye, something he did when he was nervous.

"Gray-sama… I…" she wanted to tell him she loved him, that the feelings he harboured were shared and they could be together and be something bigger and stronger than what they were now, but Juvia was selfish and wanted to hear everything he felt tonight, and every night before that. She wanted to know how long he loved her like she did him, she even wanted to know the length of time their feelings were mutual and curse the days they could've been together, and then she wanted to kiss him for a very long time.

"I-I thought you were keeping things from me, not that you're obligated to tell me those things," he added quickly, "but I just thought you told me everything, and to think someone like _Bixslow_ knew something so personal about you before I did. It got me angry."

"Okay…" she was confused. She wanted him to hurry to the confession part so they could kiss already, but she didn't want to push him.

"I just thought you didn't trust me," he continued, "and I got really jealous that you would tell him before me."

She waited for him to continue on with what else made him jealous tonight, but the longer the silence lingered she realized he said everything he intended to, and now he was waiting for her response to his confession. His _jealous-friend-confession._

"Gray-sama was just… friend jealous?" she whispered disbelievingly to herself, fighting back a forceful wave of tears. Never had she felt such a strong emotion of sorrow, and now she wished she never wound up in this bed.

"Ugh, I told you I was being stupid," he groaned, embarrassed.

"You're not stupid." She assured him.

 _I am._

He squeezed her hand one last time and let go, and at that time she couldn't hold in her tears. "You're honestly the best friend I've ever had," he told her honestly, and she covered her face with her hands, careful not to let a single sob escape past her lips. "What a lucky bastard I am."

She sniffed and turned to her side, facing away from him. "Sure," she whimpered softly. "Goodnight."

* * *

So there it is! I'm not sure why I had Juvia so sad during this chapter...

Anyway, so here's the run down. Juvia and Gajeel are brother and sister, and in case you were wondering, Jose is their adoptive father. I'll get more into that as the chapters progress. Everything in this story happens for a reason, and if it doesn't, well then I probably forgot about it.

Also, just wanted to say this chapter took almost 3 months to make. I have massive insecurities with my writing and I can still see all the little flaws, but I decided it was about time I should post it. I bet you won't believe me, but I worked on this story almost every day of those three months, and I knew I had to post this chapter today... at 3 o'clock in the morning... anyway, the reason I'm saying this is because I'm not sure when I'll be updating next, but believe me when I saw I'm most likely working on it!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read, and thank you to those who reviewed! :D

You can message me on my side blog:


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